Six Years Later
by magpup4
Summary: Haji and Solomon are alive. So is Nathan. They must awaken Saya once again and together they will face what will hopefully be the last battle between humans and chiropterans. Warning: Episode Spoilers! [Revisions complete, tell me what you think!]
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."  
- Thomas Paine_

**

* * *

****2007**

Chiropterans. The bat-like creatures that feed on human blood. With Delta67, which was derived from Diva's blood, humans were transformed into these monsters during experiments conducted by Cinq Flèches. Monsters that cannot be killed with ammunition. These creatures could possibly be killed if one were an extremely skilled swordsman, but even then it would be difficult to break through their skin's hard exterior.

Diva's twin sister, Saya, was the one true weapon that mankind had against the chiropterans. When Diva's blood comes into contact with Saya's, the blood begins to crystallize. Since the chiropterans all have Diva's blood, Saya is able to slay them with her blood drenched sword. Saya; her chevalier, Haji; and the Red Shield had been fighting to destroy Diva and the chiropterans since the late 1800s. But the battle between Diva and Saya finally ended in 2007, in New York City. Before Saya entered into her fifth deep sleep, they were finally able to complete their mission to kill Diva and her chevaliers. With the exception of Solomon.

After Saya fell into hibernation, Kai was heartbroken. In a small sense, he wished that he had been able to tell Saya how he really felt about her. But even if she had returned his feelings, he knew it never would have worked out. After a short, active phase, Saya sleeps for approximately thirty years. He had known that her deep sleep was near and that he would be forty-eight when she finally awoke, while she would still maintain the outward appearance of a sixteen year old.

Kai missed Saya terribly. Not a day went by when he did not think of her. He made sure to visit her grave every day. Despite the little hole he had in his heart, he was determined to live every day to the fullest. He definitely had his hands full with the Omoro and the twins. But no matter how busy he was, he always made sure to incorporate the little things that made him happy into his days: singing, dancing, going to the beach, laughing... Kai also kept in touch with David and Julia, who, unbeknownst to him, had been working hard along with the rest of the Red Shield to find a way to mass produce the enzyme that was found in Saya's blood. Their goal was to wipe out the rest of the Delta series. Incidents involving chiropterans had decreased dramatically, but the ones that were left still had to be dealt with. They were also busy planning for the baby.

Mao and Okamura were still traveling in and around the Middle East. They wrote to Kai and everyone else in the Red Shield when they could. From their letters, they seemed to be doing well and possibly on the brink of some "big story."

While most of the people who had come to care for Saya seemed to be doing relatively well, it was unknown as to what exactly had become of both Haji and Solomon. Solomon had not been seen since he had saved Saya from James for the second and last time. Haji had not been seen since Saya, Kai, and the Red Shield had fled from the Metropolitan Opera House the night that Diva was killed. No news either of their deaths or of more recent sightings had been heard.

At least not yet.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."  
- Martin Luther King, Jr._

**

* * *

****2013**

She yawned and rolled over as she slowly opened her eyes. She raised her arms over her head and stretched her body as she looked over at the other side of the bed. It was empty.

"Good morning."

Her head snapped up at the sound of Kai's voice and she found herself looking up at his smiling face. He had his back to the large window in their bedroom. The sun's glow behind him made him look almost ethereal.

She smiled back. "Good morning."

Kai gestured for her to come join him. "Come look at the sunrise, it's so beautiful this morning!"

She laughed. "You say that every morning, Kai," she said as she got up. She walked over to stand beside him and looked out the window. He put his arm around her and he pulled her close. A slow smile spread over her face and she sighed in contentment.

"But of course you were right. It's absolutely breathtaking!"

He kissed the top of her head. "Yes it is. But it's not nearly as breathtaking as you are."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Kai, I just woke up. I'm all disheveled, my hair is a mess…. I haven't even brushed my teeth yet!"

He put his index finger under her chin and moved her face in the direction of his own. "You always look beautiful to me."

She blushed furiously and gave a tiny smile. "Kai."

He slowly lowered his head and gently laid his lips on hers.

As he pulled away, he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her right ear. She smiled dreamily into his eyes, but Kai's face remained serious.

"I want you to know how much you mean to me. I want you to know-"

"Kai, it's okay. I know that, really! You mean a lot to me, too."

He laughed. "Don't interrupt me, I made a promise to myself that I would live every day to the fullest." His face turned serious as he looked out the window. "And that includes letting you know how I feel about you and how much I appreciate you. I never want you to forget or even doubt my feelings for you. You mean everything to me."

She looked out the window as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Kai looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Did I upset you?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all. I'm just happy, Kai." She smiled up at him.

He smiled back as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so glad. I remember for the longest time I was worried that I would never see your smile again. While you did smile back then, it never seemed to quite reach your eyes. You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that you are truly happy again, like you were when you first came to Okinawa. I love you. I remember for so long I had wanted to tell you that, but the timing was never right. Now I can't say it enough. I love you, Saya. I'll always love you."

She gave him a quick squeeze. "I love you, too, Kai. Always."

He pulled away to look at her face and frowned. It was becoming blurry. He blinked his eyes a few times. What was going on? She was moving her mouth, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. He started to panic as he drew in a couple of deep breaths.

"Saya, what's happening?!" He gripped her arms and gave her a light shake. She was starting to slip away from him.

"Saya? Saya!"

He heard a tinny voice. It sounded so far away, so incredibly distant. Who was it? Where was it coming from? What were they saying?

"_Kai_. Kai. Kai! Wake up, Kai! We're hungry, it's time for breakfast!"

He opened one eye and found himself looking at the smiling face of one of his little girls. He gave her a sad smile. So. It had just been a dream. His heart hurt a little with the realization. He brought up his right hand up to rub at his chest, as if that would make the pain go away. Saya was still sleeping and would not wake up for another twenty-four years.

"Kai? What's wrong? Are you going to make us breakfast?"

Kai turned towards the voice on the other side of his bed and smiled. He reached out and stroked the hair of his other little girl, Asuka. The first syllable of her name meant, "tomorrow." He had chosen this name for her because as much as he missed Saya, he was very happy that she had chosen to live on today, for tomorrow. Even if her tomorrow was very far away.

Then the other little girl tugged on his hand. "Come on, Kai!"

He looked over at Manami. The first syllable of her name meant, "love" and "affection." The second syllable of her name meant, "ocean." Saya had loved the ocean. Every time he went to the beach, he would remember a happy moment he had had with Saya there.

"Kai!" cried Asuka, impatiently.

That brought him back. "Asuka," he said sternly, "how many times do I have to tell you to call me 'dad?'"

She beamed at him, pleased that he had finally responded. "Sorry, Kai! Okay, let's eat!"

Kai laughed. "Alright, alright," he said as he got out of bed, "I'll make us something to eat. How about a Western style breakfast?"

"Sausage!" cried Manami.

"Yea!" said Asuka.

"Sausage it is, then. How about some toast as well?" asked Kai.

Both girls nodded vigorously.

Kai took out the sausage and bread, turned on the stove, and took out a pan. "We have the day off today since it's a Sunday. Would you girls like to go to the ocean today?"

"Yea! Let's build a sandcastle!"

After breakfast, they headed to the beach. The girls settled down in a spot where the waves were lapping the shore so they could use the wet sand to build sandcastles.

"Look, Kai! Look what I did!"

"Me, too, Kai! Look!"

Kai looked at the two lopsided, dribbled sandcastles the girls were building. "Very nice, girls!" He gave them a thumbs up.

They beamed at him and continued to dribble more sand on top of their sandcastles.

Kai stared out at the ocean. He closed his eyes and felt the sun warm his face. A slight breeze tousled his somewhat shaggy hair and he felt at peace.

Saya. He remembered that night long ago when he had told Saya what "nankurunaisa" meant. It had happened right here, sitting on the sand and staring out at the ocean. _Whatever will be, will be_. Memories of Saya brought him back to the dream he had last night. It had seemed so real. So incredibly real. He had to go to Saya's grave, and he wanted to go alone. He took out his cell phone and dialed Kaori's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kaori. I have a favor to ask of you."

Kaori happily agreed to watch the twins. He had known that she would. As Saya's best friend, she loved to think of herself as the girls' aunt.

As he dropped the twins off at Kaori's, he said, "Thanks again, Kaori. I just really had to-"

She smiled warmly. "It's okay, Kai. No need to explain." She lightly touched his left arm. "I understand," she said softly. Kaori had figured out his true feelings for Saya long ago.

Kai was lost in his thoughts and felt as if he was on auto-pilot as he rode his motorcycle over to Saya's grave. He had a promise to fulfill. It was true that he had been living his life to the fullest every day. But there was one thing that he had not been doing. He hadn't been telling Saya how he felt about her. Even though he knew that she would not be able to hear him, he wanted to tell her that he loved her for the first time.

He parked his bike and began to walk up the long set of stairs. When he reached the top, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, took a deep breath, and walked through the entrance of the tomb.

"Saya," he said softly, "I miss you so much. I think of you every single day. The girls are still doing well. They are growing up so fast, it seems! They are six years old already. Can you believe it? We went to the ocean today and the girls built sandcastles. It was a wonderful day. All it was missing, was you. Kaori is watching them right now. As I've told you before, she absolutely loves them and thinks of herself as their aunt. David, Julia, and their son are doing well. Sean is five years old, and one of the girls' favorite playmates. Speaking of the girls, I'm sorry that I didn't bring them with me today. But I wanted to speak to you alone."

Kai paused as he felt a tightening in his chest. He slowly breathed in and out, trying to ease the slight pain. His eyes watered a little and he swiped a stray tear that had managed to escape. "I had a dream last night, Saya. It felt so real. It didn't feel like a dream, and yet at the same time it did because I realized that it was a dream that I've had for myself for a long time now."

He took another deep breath. "I dreamt that you were awake. It was as if you had never fallen into a deep sleep. We were together, Saya. I mean we were _really _together. I also dreamt that I told you something really important. Do you remember that I promised that I would live every day to the fullest? Well, that includes telling you how I feel about you. And I know what you're thinking. I know that I've told you every day how much I miss you and care about you. But I've never really told you about my true feelings for you. I love you, Saya. I know you know that I love you, but I mean that I'm _in_ love with you. You mean everything to me. My heart belongs to you, and I will never love another the way that I love you."

Kai raised a shaky hand and gently touched the cocoon that Saya was sleeping in. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. A small weight felt as if it had been lifted from his shoulders. He had finally told Saya how he really felt about her. Even though he knew she was sleeping and couldn't hear him, it still felt good to tell her.

He sighed and slowly opened his eyes. As he did, something to the right of the cocoon caught his eye. There was something hidden in the shadows. He squinted and moved closer to it. As he realized what it was, his eyes widened in shock. It was a rose. A pale, pink rose with a familiar blue ribbon tied in a bow around the stem.

_Oh my God. _That's Haji's ribbon, Kai thought. But it can't be! It was true that no one knew for sure whether or not Haji was alive. But Kai had always assumed that Haji had died. Kai had witnessed Haji survive the impossible, but he did not see how he could have survived the bombing of the Metropolitan Opera House that wiped out a large amount of the Delta series and what was assumed to be all of the Corpse Corps.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kai thought he saw a shadow move. Saya? No, it couldn't be. She was sleeping. He quickly whipped his body around, ready to defend himself. And he got his second shock for the night.

"Hello, Kai."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_"Sometimes when you think its the end, its really a new beginning."  
- Colt_

* * *

"Hey, Julia! I'm home!" 

"David! I'm back in the lab!"

David walked into the small room that they had turned into a lab when they had first moved.

He kissed the top of his wife's head. "Where's Sean?"

"He just started watching a movie in the family room. So how was the meeting with Joel?"

David's face was grim. "Not good." He ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated manner and pulled up a stool next to hers.

He stared straight ahead as if he was seeing something that wasn't really there. "Can you believe after all these years that we are where we are?"

There was a long pause, but Julia knew that he hadn't been looking for an answer so she just sat and waited.

"It's been six years, Julia. Six years! And it's still not over."

Julia put her hand on his knee. "We all thought that it would have been over by now. And it's not as if the Red Shield hasn't accomplished anything." She gave him a small smile. "I'd say killing Diva and her chevaliers was pretty monumental."

David looked away. "Yes," he said slowly, "yes, I know that. And of course, you're right. I'm just frustrated. We thought that the enzyme found in Saya's blood would help us to kill the rest of the chiropterans. But we have been unable to successfully mass produce it. The only result has been failed attempts and lost lives."

"Look, David, I know that we haven't been able to kill the rest of the chiropterans like we had hoped. But most of them were killed that night at the Metropolitan Opera House. Luckily, the casualties have been few and far between. If there were still a lot of chiropterans left, don't you think we would have had more than that? It's frustrating, for sure. But the Goldsmiths are no longer in charge of the Cinq Flèches Group. Van Argeno, who was cleared of all charges due to inadequate evidence, is now in charge of Cinq Flèches. You know that he was Amshel's puppet more than anything else. We both know that he was never the brains behind the operation, so to speak, and without Amshel…." Julia shrugged. "Well let's just say that I don't think we have anything to worry about. For all intents and purposes, he seems to have turned over a new leaf."

David stared at her for a minute, trying to gather his thoughts. "Appearances can be deceiving, Julia."

She raised her brow. "What is that supposed to mean? Is that what the meeting was about? Did you find out something about Mr. Argeno?"

David nodded. "Yes. And as for the Goldsmiths, I have heard that Solomon and Nathan have finally been spotted. However, their exact whereabouts are unknown and we aren't even sure if the rumor is valid. And if it is, then Solomon is either not interested in reclaiming his title as CEO or he is scheming and biding his time. But more importantly, getting back to Van Argeno, we suspect that he still wishes to see the original goal of Cinq Flèches through."

Julia's mouth dropped open in shock. "David, do you realize what you are saying? That _cannot_ be true! Diva is dead. Their goal was to create a world of chiropterans for Diva. What would the point be in doing so without her?"

David shook his head. "His reasons are unknown to us. However, it appears that he has gone mad ever since the charges against him had been dropped. Let us remember, Julia, that he was one of the few people who really knew what was going on with Cinq Flèches, regardless of whether or not he was a puppet. They did unspeakable things to the people they ran experiments on. He is a cold man who is willing to do just about anything in the name of science. That and being crazy is a pretty bad combination."

Julia furrowed her brow in thought. "But if what you are saying is true, then why have chiropteran attacks dwindled? Don't get me wrong. Even one attack is too many. But we have been lucky that there have been so few. Especially since we have been unable to mass produce the enzyme found in Saya's blood."

"That is also uncertain. We believe that Van wishes to hold onto all his 'mice' for the time being as he is still running experiments. We also believe that he wished to avoid any trouble before he was able to put his plan into action. So it appears we are lucky that it took so long for the charges against him to be dropped and for him to take his place as head of Cinq Flèches. Who knows where we would be now if he had had all these years to run experiments on people and chiropterans."

"I'm assuming that you found all this information out from Collins."

"Mostly, yes. Although his betrayal was devastating to the Red Shield, it appears to have worked out in our favor. It would have been very difficult to successfully infiltrate Cinq Flèches. Obviously we would not have been able to use someone within our own small organization. We are all known to Cinq Flèches at this point. Finding someone, investigating their history, training them, and all the while hoping he or she would not betray us would have been a huge project. This way we already have someone on the inside. Someone that Van knows betrayed the Red Shield. The only reason we were even able to get him to work for us is not only to blackmail him, as we have plenty of evidence on crimes he has committed since his betrayal, but also to promise him some of the accreditation for the work he has done once this is finally over. I'm not particularly pleased with the latter. You know what I think of Collins, but we needed extra assurance that he would not betray us again."

Julia could feel a headache coming on as she vigorously rubbed her temples. "I'm having a hard time taking all of this in. Here I thought we only had a handful of chiropterans left to deal with, and that was hard enough. So is he simply running experiments with the chiropterans that were left? Without Diva's blood, he can't possibly create new ones!"

"It appears that he still has a moderate supply of Delta67. But if we are right about his plans, then he is going to need more." David gave her a meaningful look.

"But how can he get more? Diva is dead. Saya will not awake for another twenty-four years. Mr. Argeno will be an old man by then. And besides, her blood is lethal to the Delta series. Even if he were successful in getting Saya's blood and creating a new series, they could, in essence, wipe each other out. It would cancel out any progress that he is currently making."

"He does not need Diva or Saya's blood in order to create a new series. A new series whose blood would have no effect on the Delta series."

Julia looked horrified as realization slowly dawned. "No! Oh my God, David….. Kai's girls!"

David nodded. "Yes. We have kept the truth from him for far too long, Julia. I wonder if we did the right thing when we told him that the Red Shield had been dismantled and that there were no chiropterans left."

Julia looked sad and thoughtful. "Yes, David. We did the right thing. If Kai had known that the Red Shield was still active and that we were trying to kill the remaining chiropterans, he would have wanted to help. We both know that. He has enough going on in his life trying to raise those girls and run the Omoro. Granted, he did hire Kaori who has helped him out immensely. But that was so he could devote as much of his time as possible to raising Asuka and Manami. We did the right thing by not telling him, though he may not agree once he finds out. Besides, he was and still is having a hard time about Saya." She smiled wistfully. "He truly loves her. I can't believe I didn't notice it sooner."

David looked truly worried and was trying to figure out how to say what he needed to tell her.

Julia noticed this right away and said, "Oh, David. Please don't tell me that there's more."

"I'm afraid there is, Julia. Do you remember me telling you that Argeno has appeared to have gone mad?"

"Of course. And I would have figured that out for myself once you had told me of his plans."

"Well there's one part of the plan that I have not told you yet. And it involves Saya."

Julia frowned in confusion. "Saya? How is that possible? She will not wake up for another twenty-four years. Whatever plans he may have…. well it will be a long time before he is able to implement them."

"Not as long as you would think. Since he will not be able to create a world of chiropterans for Diva, he now plans to create a world of chiropterans for Saya."

Julia shook her head. "Come on, David. That makes absolutely no sense. Saya's wish was to completely rid the world of chiropterans. Originally, she had even included herself in that plan. Who in his right mind would think she would want to live in a world full of chiropterans?"

David pursed his lips. "Well we know that he is not of sound mind. And he is not thinking of the Saya that we all know and love. He is thinking of the Saya that awoke during the Vietnam War."

"But that's crazy. That was not the real Saya. Nothing could snap her out of whatever state she had entered into. She did not even recognize Haji, for God's sake. Although we are not sure exactly what caused her to slaughter all those people, it had to have been the fact that the Red Shield caused her to artificially awake during her hibernation period."

David let that information sink in for a few minutes.

Julia gasped. "Do you mean to tell me that Argeno plans to artificially wake up Saya?"

David nodded. "You guessed it, Julia. That is part of his plan."

"But so many things could go wrong! And even if she does wake up in the same state that she did during the Vietnam War, how would he control her?"

"He does wish to control her, but that is not all that he wants. I believe that he wishes to become her chevalier, having a relationship with her similar to the one that Amshel and Diva once had. So while he would be serving her, in a sense, he would also be controlling her."

"Even so, what makes him think she would ever agree to it?"

"This is only speculation, but I believe that he has been developing a new series of the Corpse Corps. I'm assuming that he plans to bring them with him for the 'awakening' in order to protect himself. As to his methods of persuasion, I do not know what he plans to do. And he also plans to bring someone else in case she goes completely berserk. But do not worry, we will get to him first."

"Who could he possibly bring that would make any difference? As I said before, back in Vietnam, no one was able to stop her. Not the Red Shield and not even Haji, her own chevalier."

"Don't you remember when Saya went crazy at that secret research facility in Vietnam?"

"Yes, I do." Julia gasped. "That's right! Kai was able to snap her out of it! I had always wondered about that….. how no one was able to bring her back to herself but him. So he plans to kidnap Kai as well?"

David nodded.

"So what in the world are we going to do about all of this, David?"

"We cannot let Argeno wake Saya."

"I know that, but how are we going to stop him?"

"He is already on the move. We do not know exactly how close he is, but we need to act immediately."

Julia looked horrified. "He is? Why have we been sitting here talking? We're wasting time! How in the world are we going to find a good place to hide her?"

"The reason we have had time to sit and discuss all of this is because the Red Shield has been busy making preparations. Lewis is retrieving Kai as we speak and will bring him here directly. The girls are currently being watched by Kaori, where they will be safe for the time being."

"Yes, but what exactly are our plans? Does that mean we have found a suitable place to hide Saya?"

David looked over at her carefully. "Not exactly. Julia, we are not planning to hide Saya anywhere. As you mentioned before, we do not have the time to find a suitable place. At this point, it is likely that wherever we hide her, he would be able to find her. We cannot risk that."

"But David, if we are not going to hide her, what will we do? Surely we cannot wake her! We could very well have another incident like the one in Vietnam! It's far too dangerous!"

"Yes, it will definitely be dangerous either way. But this time, we are going to go about things a little differently. For starters, we will not be using Haji's blood to awaken Saya, as the Red Shield did back then."

Julia looked worried. "David, I can't believe we're even discussing this like it's a possibility. What difference will that make? And whose blood would we use?"

"It is more than a possibility, Julia. We have to do this. We have no choice. Obviously we would not be able to use Haji's blood anyway, as he is believed to be dead. But we also believe his blood is part of the reason that she went crazy in Vietnam. Remember that while Haji's blood has never been known to have negative effects on Saya, sometimes it is what causes her to enter into a killing state. Do you remember when Saya was living in Okinawa and a chiropteran got loose in her school that fateful evening?"

Julia nodded.

"At this point, Saya had no memories of her past. But Haji forced her to drink his blood which caused her to suddenly 'awaken,' and she slayed the chiropteran. With the exception of that one time in Vietnam, Haji's blood has never caused her to lose herself. We have no reason to think that his blood is harmful to her in any way. But it still affects her in unpredictable ways and we believe that is why she went berserk when we injected his blood into her during her deep sleep. In answer to your second question, we plan to inject her with blood from one of us. It does not matter who. Since we believe that Haji's blood is what caused her to go berserk last time, we believe that the outcome of this awakening will be much more favorable. Added to that, we plan to have Kai with us just in case something goes wrong."

Julia didn't say anything for a minute. Then she looked over at David and said, "I want to go with you."

David shook his head furiously. "No, Julia. You cannot come. It is not necessary for you to be there. It's best for you to stay here and look after Sean."

"But David-"

"I said no, Julia," David said, cutting her off, "please do not argue with me." His face softened a bit. "I am quite confident that everything will be fine. It's not like that time in Vietnam. We know a lot more than we did back then. We are far more prepared. Don't worry."

He raised his right hand to her cheek and she closed her eyes. She brought up her hand to cover his. "I love you, David. I don't want anything to happen to you. I can't lose you." She opened her eyes and met his, a pleading look on her face.

David smiled. "You won't lose me, Julia. And I love you, too."

Julia sighed as a wave of nostalgia overtook her. "Do you remember the first time you told me that you loved me? It was one of the best moments of my life and I'll never forget it." She laughed lightly. "I still remember back to when I never thought I'd break through that hard exterior of yours."

David got up and wrapped his arms around her. "You and me both, Julia. I was a different man back then in the sense that I refused to let anyone in. In a small way, I think I always knew that I loved you. But it wasn't until the night when Collins held a gun to you, that I realized I truly could not live without you."

Julia brought her hands up to his chest and buried her head in his shoulder. "Can we just stay like this for a few minutes? It feels so good to be in your arms."

David smiled as he rested his head on top of hers.

But less than a minute later, his cell phone went off. He reluctantly let go of Julia to look at the caller ID. He looked at her and said, "It's Lewis."

"It's okay. I should probably start making dinner. I'm sure Sean will be getting hungry soon."

David nodded as he flipped open his phone. "Hello, Lewis."

"David. I am on my way over."

"Excellent. Did you find Kai?"

"Yes, he is with me. I'll see you shortly."

David closed his phone and headed towards the kitchen to wait with his family.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."  
- Martin Luther King_

* * *

"Hello, Kai." 

Kai squinted his eyes and moved closer to the entrance of the tomb.

"It… it can't be!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "I thought you died that night…. the night that Saya killed Diva."

Haji smiled so faintly that, for a minute, Kai thought he had imagined it. "I was able to extract myself from Amshel and it seems that I fled from the Metropolitan Opera House in just enough time." Haji looked over at the cocoon that encased Saya. "I had to survive, Kai. I made a promise to Saya. I told her that whenever she woke, I would be waiting for her. I promised her that I would always be by her side."

Kai smiled sadly, as he looked over at Saya's cocoon. "She was heartbroken, you know. She thought that you had died that night as well." He looked back at Haji. "She'll be so happy when she wakes up to find out that she was wrong."

Haji's face remained expressionless as he continued to stare at Saya's cocoon.

"So, you really meant what you said that night, didn't you?" Kai asked.

Haji's eyes slowly slid over to meet Kai's.

"When you told her that you loved her. Somehow, I think that I always knew." Kai looked away. Almost as if he was talking to himself, Kai said softly, "I guess I just had some trouble admitting it."

"You love Saya, too," said Haji.

Kai looked back over at Haji. "Yes. I always have. But to love someone truly is to wish for their happiness, even above your own. I know you know all about that. To know that she will live on and that she won't be alone…. she'll have you. That is enough for me. While I may wish that things could be different, I can accept them knowing that she will be happy."

There was a minute of silence.

"That night at the Metropolitan Opera House… you were right, Kai. I ignored my own wishes for far too long, only acting as a faithful servant to Saya. I, too, wanted Saya to live on. I wanted her to be happy, and to see her smile. That promise I made to Saya long ago, to kill her when it was all over, was very difficult. As her chevalier, I have a strong desire to fulfill her wishes. But, also, as her chevalier, I have a strong desire to protect her. So it was conflicting as I could not take care of one without completely going against the other." Haji paused. "She has suffered so much. It has been immensely difficult to watch, knowing that there was nothing I could do to ease her pain except to stay by her side. Seeing her for the first time in Okinawa without the past haunting her….. seeing the smile that your family put on her face… I'll never be able to thank you enough for that, Kai. Back then, I had hated knowing that she was going to have to remember it all again. That she still had to fight. It was very painful knowing that she had forgotten me. But seeing her truly happy, was more than enough to make up for that."

Kai nodded. "I understand all of that, Haji. I really do. Maybe I was too harsh when I said those things to you. I suppose I also panicked a little bit at the thought of losing Saya."

"Do not apologize. Everything you said that night was true, was it not? I am glad that you said those things to me. It helped push me to say things to Saya that I had always wanted to say to her."

Kai nodded thoughtfully. He opened his mouth to respond, but then he suddenly stiffened. "Did you hear that?"

Haji looked out the entrance of the tomb. "Someone's coming."

Kai slowly walked out of the entrance of the tomb. A look of surprise washed over his face. Once again, it was one of the last people he had expected to see. God knows who else was going to show up at this rate. "Lewis! What in the world are you doing here?"

Lewis looked somber. "Kai. I have come to fetch you," he said as he took out his cell phone and dialed. "David. I am on my way over." After a short pause, he said, "Yes, he is with me. I'll see you shortly." He hung up the phone.

Kai shook his head in confusion. "David? Why are we going to see David? What is going on, Lewis? Is everything alright?"

Lewis opened his mouth to reply, when Haji walked out of the tomb. Lewis raised his brow so high that it probably would have disappeared into his hairline, if he had had one. "Haji!"

Haji looked over at Lewis.

"What… I…. everyone thought you had died! I can't believe it!"

Kai cleared his throat loudly, and Lewis looked back over at him. "Lewis. You didn't answer my question. What is going on? Why did you just call David and tell him that we were coming over?" A worried expression washed over his face. "Is something wrong with Julia? Is Sean alright?"

"I'll explain on the way over. We're picking up David and a few other things as well."

"But, my bike-"

"Leave it. We'll be coming back. Haji, you need to come as well. Come, we're wasting time."

Kai raised his left brow and Haji narrowed his eyes as they followed Lewis to the car. As they were getting in, Kai said irritably, "I think you're acting a little dramatic, Lewis. Now what's the big emergency?"

Lewis looked grim as he turned the key in the car's ignition. "You won't think so, once I tell you what's going on. The Red Shield had a meeting earlier today. We received devastating news from Collins that needs to be addressed immediately."

Kai let out a short, loud laugh. "Are you serious? Well, you always did have a rather interesting sense of humor. Diva and the chiropterans are dead. The Red Shield has been dismantled for years. And even if those things weren't true, Collins betrayed us a long time ago. What makes you think we would ever be able to trust him again?"

"I hate to break it to you, Kai, but the Red Shield was never dismantled. And while most of the chiropterans were killed, there are still some left. As for Collins, let's just say that we 'persuaded' him to come back to our side. That is all you need to know for now. Trust me. We do not need to worry about betrayal from Collins."

Kai looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "What do you mean, the Red Shield was never dismantled? And there are no chiropterans left. If there were, I'm sure I would have heard something about them by now. David and Julia told me-"

"David and Julia lied to you, Kai. We don't have time to go into all that, but they thought it would be best. They knew that you would want to help if you knew that the Red Shield was active. They both thought that you had enough to deal with already."

Kai opened his mouth to say something, but Lewis cut him off before he could get out the first word. "Look, Kai. It's done. The past is the past, there's nothing we can do about it now. We need to get back to the present. There are more important matters that we need to be discussing."

Kai raised his brow. "Like what?"

"Like our plans for waking Saya."

That certainly got his attention. But before Kai could say anything, Haji angrily interjected. "You cannot wake Saya. Do I have to remind you what happened the last time the Red Shield took it up on themselves to wake her?"

"Certainly not," said Lewis. "I know that is why you once severed your ties with the Red Shield. But I urge you to at least hear me out. This is nothing like the last time. We also know a lot more now then we did back then. We are much better prepared. We are not waking her so that she can take care of the rest of the chiropterans. We are waking her because we have no other choice."

"No other choice? What do you mean you have no other choice?!" asked Kai angrily. "Here I was thinking that the Red Shield had been dismantled, the chiropterans eliminated. Then you suddenly show up one day, after _six years_, and tell me that everything I knew was a lie! Not only that, but we now have to artificially wake Saya! You're out of your fucking mind! So if you lied to me once, maybe you're lying to me again." Kai rubbed his face with his hands. "God, I don't know what to believe anymore!"

"Kai. Look I understand your frustration. I am very sorry about all of this, but I need you to calm down. I will tell you everything if you promise not to interrupt me anymore." Before Kai could say anything back, Lewis added gravely, "We're wasting time, Kai."

"Fine," Kai glowered at him. "But this had better be damn good."

Lewis then told them all about Van Argeno and his plans for Saya.

When Lewis was finished, Kai looked shocked.

"I… I just can't believe it. I don't even know what to think…. or what to say."

"For once in your life," grumbled Lewis, under his breath.

Haji furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "I don't want to do this." He closed his eyes. "I remember that last night in New York. After Saya killed Diva, I held her in my arms and told her that she didn't have to fight anymore. I told her that she could now live the way she wished. I could practically feel the tension and grief wash out of her body. Her body relaxed as she looked up into my eyes. I could see hope. A hope for the future that she had never before possessed. It was such a beautiful thing, and I will always remember it. Her eyes were brimming with her wishes. Her wishes that had nothing to do with ridding the world of chiropterans."

Haji opened his eyes to meet Lewis' in the rearview mirror. "I had always hated telling her to fight," he said as he looked away again. "But she needed me to. She needed me to be strong for her and so I was. How can I tell her that she has to fight again?"

"Haji, no one wanted for this to happen. No one wants to tell Saya that she has to fight again, either. Which is why no one is going to. Saya has done enough and we can ask no more of her."

Kai looked over at Lewis in confusion. "But I thought-"

Lewis cut him off, "Kai, were you listening when I told you what our reasons for waking Saya are? If we had planned on waking Saya in order to kill the rest of the chiropterans, we would have done so years ago. We plan on protecting her, the best we can."

Kai looked out the window. "But," he said sadly, "I know she will choose to fight anyway, whether you ask it of her or not."

They continued the rest of the drive in silence, all of them lost in their own thoughts.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**__ This chapter is dedicated to Firing Rockets on Dragons, Panzer718, and 9081. Thank you so much for your reviews, your input has really meant a lot to me! And also thanks to nighteh, sinnerchrno, Ellie72127, and the name of a rose for either listing Six Years Later as a favorite story, or putting it on alert! __Panzer718: I am sorry, please don't kill me! Saya is not in this chapter because, as you can see, this chapter takes place in 2007. But I promise that Saya will be in this story... a lot. Trust me, I am far from finished! _

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_"The final forming of a person's character lies in his own hands."  
- Anne Frank_

* * *

**2007**

Nathan Mahler sighed as he walked into his home in France. He closed the door and threw his keys on a table by the front door. He walked back towards the kitchen in search of his favorite red wine. After the past couple of days he had had, he desperately needed a glass.

He selected an unopened bottle of Grand Vin de Château Latour from his wine cabinet and set it on the counter. He began humming to himself as he grabbed one of his biggest wine glasses and pulled out a wine key from a drawer. He opened the wine bottle, set the cork on the counter, and poured just enough wine into the glass for it to equal a sip. He gave it three quick swirls, stuck his nose into the glass, and sniffed.

"Perfect," Nathan said, a big smile lighting up his face. He then proceeded to pour himself a full glass. He took the glass and walked to the window facing his backyard so he could look out at the garden.

He took a long sip from his glass and shook his head. He still couldn't believe that Diva was dead. Karl, Amshel, Solomon, and James were all dead, too.

Oh, James! His handsome James. He had always been a bit too serious for his taste, but Nathan had never cared because he had been so incredibly cute!

But aside from his sadness at Diva's passing, he had rather enjoyed the whole experience, in its entirety, of being Diva's chevalier. What wonderful entertainment! It had had all the elements of a noteworthy drama: love, war, death, tragedy, betrayal... And such a marvelous script! The right corner of his mouth curled upwards.

Yes, he had set the stage quite nicely. Especially for his "death" at the very end. Quite a dramatic finish, if he did say so himself! It was the perfect way to symbolize the fact that he was no longer Diva's chevalier.

But now what was he going to do? Re-open the Metropolitan Opera House? Or should he move on to a new endeavor? The thought reminded him of an earlier conversation he had had with Solomon.

_ "Would you like to quit being a producer at the opera house and become a museum curator?"_

_ "Well, I'll give it a thought... in about a hundred years."_

It certainly was something to think about. And much sooner than he had originally planned!

Nathan sighed. Poor Solomon. All he had wanted was to live with Saya. For her to become his bride. Well, it made sense. She _was_ rightfully his bride, after all!

He shook his head. If only Solomon had made it, he might have been able to make his dream a reality. After all, Saya was still alive!

Poor, poor Solomon.

Nathan took another sip of wine and headed towards the basement. He wanted to check if there were any "leftover parts" from experiments with the Schiff or the Corpse Corps. If there were, he would have to dispose of them.

He had no desire to have any more association with the Cinq Flèches Group. He had never cared much about their stupid experiments anyway. The only thing that had mattered to him was Diva.

Nathan switched on the light and headed downstairs. He had better change the locks to the house, too. He didn't want any unwelcome guests. After all, he knew some of Amshel's henchmen had keys for the house. But it was his house now.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and headed to the right. He passed through the automatic sliding doors and flipped on the light. He looked to the right and then looked to the left at the tall glass cylinder containers.

It felt as if time was slowing down as Nathan's wine glass slowly slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor. He could hear the echoes of the shattering glass ringing in his head and felt his body give a tiny jerk in surprise as he stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened in disbelief as he began to walk towards the container that had held James after that night on Christina Island when he had lost most of his limbs. He felt as if he was in some kind of trance.

No, this couldn't be real. It had to be a dream. Just had to be. He rubbed at his eyes and opened them again. But he was still there.

"Solomon?" Nathan whispered.

Almost as if he had heard him, Solomon's eyes flew open and he stared at Nathan.

Nathan rushed over and pressed the button to drain the cylinder. Once it was completely empty, he opened the hatch to let Solomon out.

"Solomon! How? How is this possible?" Nathan surveyed Solomon carefully. Not because he was completely naked, but because he did not understand how all of his limbs seemed to be intact.

Solomon smiled at Nathan. "Would you mind getting me some clothes first? Then I promise to answer any questions that you may have."

Nathan smiled back. "Alright, whatever! If you were James, I might have said no... but-" Nathan shrugged and sighed as he began to walk upstairs.

"You know, Solomon," he said, "I believe that one of your old white suits is still here!"

As soon as Solomon was dressed, they sat down at a table in the kitchen.

"Actually, Nathan, I have some questions I would like to ask you first. Where are Amshel and Diva? And, more importantly, where is Saya?"

Nathan looked at him curiously. "You mean you don't know?" He paused. "Amshel and Diva are dead. Killed by Saya and her chevalier, Haji. It happened the night of Diva's concert at the Metropolitan Opera House."

Solomon looked a little sad for a moment. "Brother is dead?" he asked. But then he gave a wide smile and said softly, "But Saya….. if she and Haji killed both Diva and Amshel, that must mean she is still alive!"

Nathan nodded. "Yes, she is. But I think the bigger question is, how are you?"

Solomon smiled and tilted his head to the side. "And I can see that you are quite thrilled by that fact."

"Oh, Solomon. Don't be ridiculous. Of course I am, but you must understand, I am rather confused by the fact that you are still alive. Amshel called me and told me that he had found you in an alley in New York... completely crystallized. He told me that you saved Saya from James, but in the process got nicked on your left shoulder by her sword. Her sword that was dripping with her blood." Nathan sighed. "Oh and what a wonderful drama it must have been! I am quite sorry to have missed it! So... care to explain why Amshel lied to me? And why I found you in that glass cylinder downstairs?"

Solomon looked down at his glass of wine with that small smile that always seemed to be plastered to his face.

"Brother said that, did he?" Solomon looked back up at Nathan, his expression never wavering. "I cannot tell you why he lied to you. All I can tell you is what I know..."

_"Solomon Goldsmith. What a sorry state you are in."_

_Solomon started sliding towards the ground, but Amshel caught him before he fell. Solomon's left arm began to crystallize. Amshel stared straight ahead, his face expressionless but for the small hint of sadness in his eyes. He closed his eyes and ripped off Solomon's left arm before the rest of his body crystallized as well._

_Solomon felt faint. He could feel himself sliding in and out of consciousness. "Why, brother?" he asked weakly. "Why would you save me? I tried to kill you!"_

_Amshel looked down at Solomon. "That's just it. You are my little brother. My real little brother." Amshel then looked away. "The last of the Goldsmiths, other than myself. I hope I don't come to regret this decision, but I just can't allow myself to let you die like this. You will be taken back to France where your arm will be restored."_

_"No, brother! I saw what happened to James. You... 'restored' his body as well, did you not? His artificial limbs completely crystallized... not from Saya's sword, but because he had the 'thorn.' I do not wish for that to happen to me. Just kill me now and get it over with," Solomon finished weakly._

_Amshel shook his head. "You've got it all wrong, brother. If you'll remember, I told Diva that James was going to be alright, despite the loss of almost all of his limbs. I never would have said such a thing to her if it weren't true. But Diva saw James with his new body and was quite displeased. She said that she no longer wanted him. So rather than replace his limbs with that of the Corpse Corps like I had originally planned, I replaced his limbs with that of the Schiff. Obviously the difference being that the Schiff will eventually get the 'thorn,' while the Corpse Corps do not."_

_"Brother... you are indeed... a cruel person..." Solomon mumbled, as his head started to loll to the side._

_Amshel frowned. Solomon had passed out._

_"If I was really so cruel, do you really think I would be saving your sorry life?" He shook his head as he took out his cell phone and dialed._

_"I need you to come pick up Solomon."_

Nathan still looked baffled after Solomon's story.

"I still can't believe it! And I'm finding it harder to believe that Amshel actually saved you!"

Solomon stared at his left arm for a minute. He turned it to the left, then to the right, and flexed his fingers. "Yes. In a way, I still find it rather odd as well. I understand that I was the only chevalier that was part of his family before we formed our current family with Diva. I truly am his little brother. But I also do not believe he really considered Saya killing Diva to be a possibility. He probably figured that Diva would eventually kill Saya, leaving him to take care of Haji. With Saya gone, I'm sure he figured he would no longer have to worry about me 'straying from my path.'"

"Well I guess that does make sense. So what do you plan to do now? Saya won't wake up for another thirty years! And you are no longer the CEO of Cinq Flèches."

Solomon looked thoughtful. "To be honest, I'm not really sure." He paused. "One of my dreams…. was to see the world." He looked down. "But I don't want to do it without Saya," he said softly.

Nathan sighed. "Oh, Solomon. I never would have guessed you were such a romantic!"

Solomon looked back at Nathan and smiled. "I wouldn't have either."

Solomon shook his head. "Thirty years is a long time. I suppose I could try to take hold of Cinq Flèches if Amshel is no longer with us. If nothing else, it would be something to do."

He cocked his head to the side and closed his eyes in delight. "Just imagine the look on Van's face if I were to succeed!" He opened his eyes again to meet Nathan's. "I think that alone could make it worthwhile."

Nathan nodded in agreement. "While I do agree that that could be an interesting endeavor, I think that you should probably hold off for now."

"Hold off? Whatever for?"

"Cinq Flèches is under heavy investigation right now, as is Mr. Argeno. I'd recommend that you sit back and wait a while before you make any moves. But it might be fun to spy on them in the meantime! We could keep tabs on them and figure out when to make our move. They don't even know that we are alive, which gives us quite an advantage!" Nathan clapped his hands. "Oh, this is going to be fun!"

Solomon laughed. "What do you mean, 'we?' Why, Nathan... I never knew you had any real interest in Cinq Flèches!"

Nathan waved his hand airily. "Oh I don't, really. Never have. But it just so happens that I now have a lot of free time on my hands and it sounds like this could be fun!"

Solomon smiled. "Yes. I believe you are right."


	6. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:** Sorry this chapter is short.The past couple of weeks have been pretty bad and really crazy, so this is really all I had time for. Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed. Your input is greatly appreciated._

* * *

**Chapter 5 **

_"A day dawns, quite like other days; in it, a single hour comes, quite like other hours; but in that day and in that hour the chance of a lifetime faces us." -_ _Maltbie Babcock _

**

* * *

****2013**

"Mr. Argeno, everything is set."

"Why sank you, Collins. So I am assuming zat means you have found Mr. Miyagusuku zen?"

"Well, no. Not exactly."

"I sought you just told me zat everysing was set, did you not?"

"Yes I did and it is, but we have been unable to locate Kai as of right now."

Van Argeno shook his head as he unwrapped a small, round piece of candy and popped it into his mouth. He walked over to the window of his office and looked outside as he clasped his arms behind his back. A slight breeze tousled his hair. "Mr. Collins, we have been watching Kai very closely zese past few weeks. He has a fairly standard routine and usually only goes to a small handful of places. How is it zat on ze one day zat we actually need Kai, you are suddenly unable to locate him?"

Mr. Collins' face remained stoic as he stared at Argeno's back. "I'm sorry, sir. We have looked at all the places he can usually be found without any success. The only place we haven't checked yet is Saya's grave."

"Hmmm... zat is very interesting. Maybe we will not have to bring him after all. In any case, we must do it today. Once we arrive maybe we will find zat Mr. Miyagusuku is already zere waiting for us!"

Argeno's lips curled upwards into an evil grin as he looked back over at Collins. "Well what are we waiting for zen? Let's go."

* * *

Solomon looked thoughtful as he leaned over the roof of Cinq Flèches' headquarters. He looked out over the horizon and stared at the sunset. The sun was an orange ball that was so bright, it appeared to be glowing. The undersides of the clouds were tinged with neon pink. 

"So," he said, "today is the day then."

Nathan smiled. "Oh, how exciting! What a wonderful idea it was to spy on Argeno! It certainly has paid off, don't you think, Solomon? I've never witnessed the artificial awakening of a queen before. Why, I don't think I could have set this stage better myself!"

Solomon gave Nathan a rather solemn look. "But this time will be different, Nathan, for you will not merely be an observer."

Nathan sighed and put his right hand on his hip. "Oh I know that, Solomon. No need to get all serious on me."

Solomon looked towards the sunset again. In his mind, he could see flashes of Saya back at the secret research facility in Vietnam. Her eyes were glowing, her face streaked with blood. Running with her sword held high above her head. He could see her losing herself as she attacked both enemy and ally alike.

_Saya. What will happen when you awake? _

_Will you remember?_

* * *

Lewis pulled up to David and Julia's home. 

Kai sighed and closed his eyes briefly. At least he had had time to settle down and pull himself together. He was going to have to remain calm if he wanted to get through this. He got out of the car and started down the walkway towards the front door as Lewis knocked.

David opened the door almost immediately and his eyes widened in shock.

"Haji?!"

"Hello, David."

David moved back and said, "Hurry up and come inside, everyone. Let's go back to the kitchen."

David looked over his shoulder as they walked towards the back of the house. He looked a little nervous. "So, Haji. You're still alive. Everyone had always assumed that you had died the night that Saya finally managed to kill Diva."

As they entered the kitchen, Julia looked up. Her mouth fell open as she stared at Haji.

"Haji? Is that really you? How is this possible?"

Haji looked over at Julia. "I managed to flee the Metropolitan Opera House before it was completely destroyed."

Julia stared at Haji for another minute before smiling and walking over to him. She placed her right hand on his arm and said, "I'm so glad that you survived, Haji. I'm sure that Saya will be very happy to see you. She was heartbroken having thought that she had lost you, you know."

Haji merely stared back with a small frown on his face, his expression unreadable.

David cleared his throat and looked over at Lewis. "Did you tell them what is going on?"

Everyone turned to look at David. He still looked slightly nervous.

"Do not worry, David," said Haji, as if he could read David's mind. "Lewis informed us of your plans. I understand that this is not like that time in Vietnam. I am here to be of service to you."

Some of the tension seeped out of David and he gave a small smile. "I am very glad to hear that. Thank you, Haji."

Kai raised his left brow. "That is why I am here as well, David. I want to help in any way that I can. Lewis explained to me why you feel it is necessary for me to be there. And why Argeno apparently does, as well."

Kai could still remember that day very clearly. Saya had gone berserk. She had attacked everyone in the room. There was so much blood. It was everywhere, coating the floor, dripping off the walls. He had tripped over something and when he looked back, he realized he had tripped over one of their ally's lying on the floor. He was dead, so much blood beneath him. Kai had been in shock. What had happened to Saya? He remembered calling out to her.

_"Saya! What the hell are you doing, Saya?! SAYA!"_

_She had looked over at him, her red eyes glowing. She blinked and they were back to their normal brown color. Saya was back._

Kai shook his head at the memory. "I wish we had more time, David. I'm really not very happy with you, but it will have to wait until we have Saya back. Until she is awake and safe. David... I want you to use my blood to wake Saya. If you are so sure that having me there will be able to... will be able to snap Saya out of it if she has another episode, well then I think it would be best."

David nodded. "Hopefully that will not be an issue. I am also hoping that she will awake with all of her memories this time. I believe that she will. I think the last time she awoke, she may have lost her memories due to her extremely traumatic experience in Vietnam. But even if she awakens without her memory, it would obviously be much more favorable than the former."

"Agreed," said Lewis. "Now, Kai, go with Julia so she can take some of your blood."

As Kai followed Julia out of the room, Lewis turned to David. "Where is Sean? Did Kaori pick him up already?"

"Yes, Lewis. She still has the twins with her as well. I believe the kids will be safe there for now. She was rather curious as to what was going on, but she didn't ask any questions, thankfully, for I would not have had time to answer any of them. Julia will be joining her as soon as we leave."

There was a short silence.

"So what are we going to do if Argeno shows up? If he does, I think we all know that he will not be alone."

"Yes, I agree. If he does, hopefully Saya will be awake at that point. It is very fortunate that we now have Haji with us as well. We should be able to defend ourselves and make our escape. Do not worry, Lewis."

Kai and Julia walked back into the kitchen. Julia handed David the syringe with Kai's blood.

"I just realized that I don't have my dad's gun with me," said Kai.

"It's okay, Kai," said David. "We have more than enough guns in the van. It's time to go. The sooner we have Saya back with us, the better."

Julia walked towards David and framed his face in her hands. She leaned towards him and kissed him softly on the lips. "Please be safe, David."

David smiled. "I will, Julia. I promise." He lifted his right hand to cover one of hers. "I love you."

"I love you, too, David."

"Come on, David," called Lewis, from the front door. "Don't worry, Julia. We will take good care of him."

As David walked out of the kitchen, he turned his head and said, "Julia, I'll call you as soon as I can."

Everyone piled into the car and Lewis drove off.

Kai looked out the window. He could feel butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. He couldn't tell if the butterflies were a result of excitement or of fear. It was probably a combination of both. He was definitely excited about the prospect of seeing Saya again. But he was also afraid. He was afraid of Argeno. He was afraid of the state Saya would wake up in. Kai looked over at Haji, wondering if he was thinking the same things that he was.

Haji was staring out of the other window, also lost in his own thoughts.

_Saya. I told you that I would always be there when you wake up. I also promised you that you could now live the way that you wished. I intend to fulfill that promise. You are everything to me, Saya. I hope that you have had a good sleep._


	7. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note**__: Maiden-Chan pointed out something important to me that I hadn't necessarily cleared up in chapter 2, as I should have in Julia and David's conversation. She said that she couldn't imagine how anyone than Haji's blood could awaken Saya. I would like to point out that Haji is partly instrumental in awakening Saya to her killing state, not in literally waking her up. I'm very glad she pointed this out to me, and if anyone else has any questions, please feel free to ask me! Once again, thanks so much to all of my wonderful reviewers. Especially the ones who reviewed Chapter 5: Firing Rockets on Dragons, Lady Icicle, Fluffy's Pocky, Mitay, and Maiden-Chan. Also, I'm very tired and wrote this very quickly. I haven't had a chance to look over it a second time, so if anyone spots any mistakes… please let me know! If need be, I'll smooth it out later on. _

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_"Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more."_

_- Louis L'Amour_

* * *

They got out of the car and headed towards the stairs. David headed up the rear, his gun raised. "Be on your guard, everyone. I am hoping that we will be able to avoid Argeno tonight, but we have to be ready." 

Lewis began quickening his pace. "Come, we must hurry. I hope that we can avoid Argeno as well, but if he does show up, it is imperative for Saya to already be awake."

They ran the rest of the way up and made quick work of dissecting the cocoon.

David looked at Lewis. "Hand me the syringe."

Kai looked at Saya's face. She looks so peaceful, he thought. Her raven colored hair had gotten so long, and was now well past her shoulders. But other than that, she looked the same. What was he thinking? Of course she looked the same, what had he expected her to look like?

He gave a slight smile. The reasons that the Red Shield wanted him here today brought a memory from their last night in Okinawa before departing for Russia, rushing back to him.

_"Kai?"_

_"Yea?"_

_"I hope you'll always stand by me. You will always be there for me, right?"_

_"Saya-"_

_"Even if I have to fight over and over, as long as I have you and Riku, as long as I can keep being a member of the family, I know I... won't lose myself. Then I know I'll be okay. _

_"I promise I'll stay with you. I'll never leave you again. No matter what happens or where you go, I'll be there for you. Trust me."_

_"Thank you."_

Maybe she was right. Maybe having a real family had made a huge difference in her life. Even though she had had Joel and Haji in the beginning, she had never had the stereotypical family like she did in Okinawa. Okay, so maybe they hadn't exactly been a stereotypical family, but she finally had an actual father and a couple of brothers. Even though his feelings towards her weren't exactly brotherly. His cheeks turned a little pink at that thought. Well, it's not like they were related by blood.

He looked back down at Saya. Everything is going to be fine, he thought. I can feel it.

David narrowed his eyes in concentration as he located a vein on Saya's upper right arm. He took the syringe and placed it just above the vein.

"Lewis, hold her arm steady."

"I've got it, David."

"Come over here, Kai. I want you to be the first thing she sees when she opens her eyes."

Kai quickly walked closer to Saya, placing both arms on either side of the cocoon.

David slowly injected the blood into Saya's vein. When he had injected more than three quarters of the blood into her bloodstream, her eyes shot wide open and she gasped.

Thank God. Her eyes were their normal brown color. But did she have her memory?

Kai stared into Saya's eyes. "Saya? It's me, Kai," he said, almost pleadingly.

_Please remember._

"Kai?"

Kai took a sharp intake of breath at the sound of his name on her lips. Did she remember, or was she confused?

"I don't understand. You... you look the same! How can that be?"

Kai tried not to cry as he gave her a watery smile.

Her eyes widened as she found herself in Kai's arms. He was holding her so tightly, she felt as if he was permanently molding her body to his own. She slowly stroked his back in a gesture of comfort, though for what, she was not quite sure.

"Kai?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Saya," she heard him say in a muffled voice from over her shoulder. "Saya, I've missed you so much."

Saya placed her hands on his shoulders and lightly pushed. He slowly drew back and noticed that she was looking at him, searchingly.

"Kai, what is going on? I don't understand. I know I'm supposed to sleep for approximately thirty years, but you look like you've hardly aged at all!"

Saya saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head.

Saya let out a loud, indiscernible noise as she stared straight into the eyes of Haji. She felt as if her heart had been caught in her throat and she couldn't breathe. Nobody moved or said anything as she stared at him, as if paralyzed, for a full fifteen seconds. Her eyes began to water, and tears began to slide down her cheeks when she finally blinked.

"Haji," she said in a watery voice. "How... how can you... I thought that..." She put her face in her hands and her shoulders began to shake as she broke out into loud, gasping sobs.

Haji quickly moved over to Saya. Kai moved out of the way as Haji wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Haji looked a little sad before he closed his eyes and said, "Saya."

"Oh, Haji. I'm sorry," she said as she wiped her eyes. "It was so hard, thinking that you were gone. I never really got the chance to deal with my feelings before I fell into my deep sleep and, seeing you now... all the pain that I had bottled up inside of me just burst out."

Saya pulled back just enough to look into Haji's eyes. She gave a wide smile and gently placed her right hand on Haji's cheek, her eyes overly bright from the tears she had just shed and brimming with emotion. "Haji," she said softly, "I'm so glad you're okay."

Haji smiled down at Saya. He also placed his hand on Saya's cheek and tenderly rubbed his thumb just under her cheek bone. She felt her heart leaping out of her chest as she saw the deep, raw emotion in Haji's eyes.

"There it is. Finally," said Haji.

Saya dropped her hand from his cheek and placed it over his hand. There what was? She tilted her head questioningly, furrowing her brow.

"The smile that I had wanted to give you for so long. The smile that I saw on your face when I first found you in Okinawa. No matter how much I had wished it, I could not seem to give it to you. But now I finally have. Thank you, Saya."

As Saya pulled him towards her for another hug, David spoke up.

"Saya, I am sorry to interrupt, but we must leave now."

Saya put a hand to her heart as she whirled around.

"David? Lewis! You really scared me." Saya suddenly remembered her confusion from earlier as she glanced back over at Kai.

"What is going on? You all look the same, why am I awake? I shouldn't be, should I... it hasn't even been close to thirty years yet, has it?"

David looked grim. "No, Saya, it hasn't. We have to leave; I promise that everything will be explained to you once we do."

She looked worried and confused as she got up. "Okay, let's go."

They started walking out of the tomb.

"Well, well... it looks like Kai was here after all. No wonder we could not find you." Argeno smiled coldly. He then turned his attention to Saya. "Hello, Saya. I'm so disappointed zat I did not get to wake you myself. But," he shrugged, "it is of no consequence. I need you to come with me, now. If you refuse, I am afraid zat I will have to hurt your friends here. You wouldn't want zat now, would you?" A large number of Corpse Corps members suddenly appeared behind him.

Kai, Lewis, and David had their guns raised and pointed in Argeno's direction. Haji narrowed his eyes as he used his teeth to rip the bandages away from his right hand. "Saya is not going anywhere with you."

Argeno smirked and raised his left brow. "Oh, I see. So now zat you are done unwrapping zat hand of yours, am I supposed to be scared? You and a few mortals are no match for ze Corpse Corps. Now unlike all of you, my time is very valuable. Just hand Saya over to me and we can all save ourselves ze trouble. You all should not worry, I will not hurt her."

"Haji, give me my sword."

He glanced over at her. "But, Saya-"

"Haji, please. I know you don't want me to fight anymore, but I can't just stand here and watch you all fight for me. You _know_ I can't do that, Haji."

Haji paused. "If that's what you wish." He opened up his cello case, took out her sword, and handed it to her.

"Saya, you have not fully awakened yet. You need my blood in order to fight." Haji took out a dagger and sliced into his palm.

She closed her eyes briefly. She had long since come to terms with the fact that she was a chiropteran. She looked over at Haji and nodded.

Argeno sighed. "I was hoping zat it would not have to come to zis." He backed away as he gestured back towards the Corpse Corps, who began running towards them.

Kai, Lewis, and David began to shoot at them as Saya drank some of Haji's blood. Saya's brown eyes widened as they turned into a bright, vivid red. The color was so bright, it looked like someone had flipped on a light switch behind her irises.

Haji whipped around just as one of the Corpse Corps was closing in on them. He took his cello case and forcefully swung it upwards, catching him under the chin. Haji swiftly swung the case to the left and bashed it into the side of the member of the Corpse Corps, who went flying backwards.

"Saya, watch out!" cried Kai, as he shot at another member of the Corpse Corps who had been running towards her. The member was thrown back by the first shot. Kai continued to fire multiple rounds into the Corpse Corps member until a bright light shot out of him and he exploded into a dark cloud of dust.

Damn, he thought. There are so many of them!

Saya narrowed her eyes as she sliced her thumb near the hilt of her sword. The blood from her thumb flowed down the long groove, which ran all the way to the tip of her sword, and the shorter grooves which ran horizontally all along the blade. She raised her sword over her right shoulder and began running towards one of the members of the Corpse Corps, when she saw a flash in front of her. She stopped in confusion as she watched the member she had been running towards collapse, completely dismembered. Then she looked up and gasped.

Solomon.

She saw another flash off to the left and her mouth dropped open.

Nathan?!

But how was that possible? She had killed him the same night that she had killed Diva!

More shots rang out to her right as another member of the Corpse Corps exploded in a burst of bright light and gray dust.

Argeno's lips were pressed into a tight line as he narrowed his eyes. Solomon. That bastard. He was still alive? How had this little fact managed to escape his attention?

"Well," Argeno muttered to himself. "Zis is certainly an unexpected development."

"I believe we shall retreat for now," Argeno said, raising his voice. Two members of the Corpse Corps appeared by his side as Argeno smiled at Saya. "I will be back for you soon, Saya."

They disappeared in a flash.

Kai moved to follow in the direction they had disappeared in, but David stopped him. "Let them go. We knew it was not going to be over today."

Saya slowly turned around to stare at Solomon and Nathan. With a flick of his wrist, the long sharp blade protruding from Solomon's right arm turned into his hand. Nathan had his hands on his hips, and looked rather pleased with himself.

"Saya," said Solomon hesitantly as he stepped towards her. Had she regained all of her memory?

"Solomon... Nathan?" Saya shook her head. "This is too much. What is going on? Why am I awake and why are you all here? What could Argeno possibly want with me? And you!" cried Saya, whirling around to face Nathan. "You! How is it that you are still alive?!"

Nathan smiled. "Saya... I thought you'd never ask!"


	8. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note:**__ Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews. It helped motivate me to get this chapter out sooner than I had originally planned. _

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**Chapter 7**

_"You have a destination far beyond where you find yourself standing today." _

_- Guy Finley_

* * *

Saya stared at Nathan in confusion as her bright red eyes faded back to brown. She crossed her arms and furrowed her brow as she waited for an answer. 

Nathan had his left hand on his hip as he smirked over at Saya. "The answer is quite simple, really." He touched the index finger of his right hand to the thumb of his left and the thumb on his right hand to the index finger on his left to form a rectangle. He closed his left eye and moved the rectangle so that the only thing in it was Saya. "Can you not figure it out for yourself? Tell me something, my dear Saya... did you not notice anything funny about the way I 'died' that night?"

Saya stared at Nathan as she mentally brought herself back to the night she killed Diva.

_"Now that Diva is dead, I no longer have a reason to be her Chevalier. Saya, won't you kill me? If I live on, you will not be able to make your wish come true. Isn't that right Haji? Come on... if you have pity on me, please send me along."_

_Saya took the sword from Nathan with a look of determination in her eyes. She sliced her thumb at the hilt of her sword, waiting until the grooves were drenched with her blood. _

_Nathan dramatically backed up and threw his arms out to the side. "Nathan Mahler shall end here!" he cried. _

_As Saya began to run towards Nathan, he looked at her and said, "Good girl."_

_Saya quickly slashed her sword upwards, effectively slicing through Nathan. _

_He looked at her and said, "Thank you." Then he collapsed backwards._

Saya's eyes widened after recalling the memory. She looked over at Nathan in an accusatory manner. "You... your body didn't crystallize! I didn't really notice it back then. I was so preoccupied at the time, thinking about... the promise between me and Haji."

The left corner of Nathan's mouth curled upwards. "Very good, Saya."

He sighed. "It was quite a dramatic finish, don't you think?"

Saya narrowed her eyes at him. "So you still haven't explained how you were able to survive. Your body should have crystallized once my blood came into contact with yours. What are you? Are you really Diva's chevalier?"

Nathan loosely waved his right hand at Saya. "Well, obviously not anymore. But I am indeed a chevalier. I'll put it this way, Saya. It was my choice to become Diva's chevalier, and mine alone. When she first granted me with her blood, it was a symbol that I had become her chevalier. A _symbol_, Saya. Nothing more. Just as you 'killing' me had been a symbol that I was no longer Diva's chevalier. Understand?"

Saya continued to stare at Nathan. "A symbol? What do you mean?"

She paused for a minute. Suddenly she gasped as a thought came to her. "You couldn't possibly be... you mean, you were my mother's chevalier?"

Nathan smiled and clapped his hands together in delight. "Wonderful, Saya! I knew you would figure it out."

Kai's mouth dropped open. "What?! Are you serious?"

David stepped forward. "Nathan. If it is really as you say, and you were a chevalier to the mother of Saya and Diva, then can you tell us how their mother died?"

Nathan looked over at David. "Oh, I wish I could tell you how she died. But unfortunately, I do not have the answer."

David looked doubtful. "If you were truly her chevalier, how is it that you do not know the circumstances surrounding her death? And why did you not stay to take care of both Saya and Diva after she died?"

Nathan shrugged. "I had to leave her for a few days and when I came back, she was gone. I looked for her everywhere, but I just couldn't find her. I did not know for sure that she had died until I learned of Diva and Saya. I would have taken care of them if I had known their whereabouts," he said dismissively.

Saya stepped towards Nathan and Solomon. "Now I understand. Since you were the chevalier of my mother, my blood has no effect on you!"

She hesitated before turning to the rest of the group. "But I still don't understand... why did you wake me? What is going on?"

"Saya," said David, "Let's go back home. We can explain everything to you on the way."

"Home?" Saya repeated.

David smiled. "Yes, the house where Julia and I live with our son."

Saya smiled back and nodded. "Okay. But I want to know everything, David. And I do mean everything."

"I promise that we will tell you everything we know," said David, as he pulled out his cell phone. "I'm going to call Julia to let her know that everyone is alright."

While David talked to Julia, Solomon slowly walked up to Saya as Haji narrowed his eyes and Kai shifted uncomfortably. He reached out and pulled Saya into his arms. God, he had wanted to do this as soon as he had set eyes on her. But it had not been feasible in the midst of battle. It felt so good to hold her in his arms once again. Her eyes widened as he pulled back far enough to touch his right hand to her cheek.

Solomon smiled and slightly tilted his head to the side. "Saya. It is... good to see you. I wish I could stay with you, but Nathan and I have somewhere that we must go to now."

He reluctantly released her. "But I will be back for you, Saya."

Haji stepped in front of her. "Saya will not be going anywhere with you."

Solomon shook his head as he began to walk back towards Nathan. "I do not believe that decision is yours to make, Haji."

"Solomon!" cried Saya stepping forward.

But they were already gone.

Saya felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her and was met with Kai's smiling face. Saya smiled back up at Kai and covered his hand with her own.

"Everyone, it is time to head back. Let's go," said Lewis, as he watched David hang up with Julia.

* * *

Van Argeno sat in his office, still in shock over Solomon's appearance. What was going on? If Solomon had survived, where had he been all of these years? Why had Solomon turned against him? Argeno supposed it was because he had taken over Solomon's position as CEO, initially, and now because he was the head of Cinq Flèches. This could be a problem. 

And did the Red Shield know of his plans? He narrowed his eyes as he idly tapped his index finger on the surface of his desk. There was no other explanation. He could not think of a single reason the Red Shield could possibly have had for waking Saya unless they had known about his plans and wanted to wake her before he had had the chance.

There had been times when Argeno had wondered if trusting Collins had been a smart move. While it was true that Collins had already betrayed the Red Shield, it was also true that, as someone who had already betrayed his allies once, it was not so far-fetched that he would do so again. Yes, he should have seen it more clearly before. The Red Shield must have made an offer that an egotistical, self-serving Collins simply could not refuse.

Not that there was anything wrong with those attributes.

Argeno's lips peeled back to form an evil grin. It was just too bad that he had given Collins some false information, just in case something like this were to happen. He could use this to his advantage.

Nothing would stand in his way. He _would _see his plans through, no matter what. He would prove to the world that he was smarter and more powerful than Amshel had ever been. He would see the goal of Cinq Flèches through the way Amshel had not been able to. He would have his revenge on those stupid Americans who had left him in the Metropolitan Opera House to die. He began to laugh at the thought. Yes, everyone would see.

He couldn't wait.

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in," he said.

The door opened, and Collins walked in.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Argeno smiled. "Why yes I certainly did, Collins. Are you not wondering why I have not brought Saya back wis me?"

Collins felt a line of sweat drip down his back. "Of course I was, sir. Was there a change in plans?"

His nervousness increased as he noticed the hard glint in Argeno's eyes.

"Yes, zere has definitely been a change in plans." Argeno snapped his fingers as a trio of Corpse Corps members appeared in his office.

Collins tugged at his shirt collar and backed up towards the door to Argeno's office.

"Where do you sink you are going, Collins? Did you not hear me when I said zere was a change in plans?"

Collins looked fearful. "Perhaps you could tell me some other time, sir. I should be going."

He heard three distinct whooshing sounds as the trio of Corpse Corps members moved to block his path to the door. "Well, I suppose I do have some time to listen now," said Collins, as his eyes darted around, fruitlessly trying to find another means of escape.

"Zat's more like it. So, do you have any idea as to why we were unable to bring Saya back wis us today?"

Collins shook his head.

Argeno sighed. "I really do hate liars, Collins. Curiously enough, when I arrived at Saya's tomb, imagine my surprise when I saw zat Saya had already been awakened... by ze Red Shield. I am quite confident zat you are as surprised as I am, right Collins?"

"Yes, sir. That is very shocking news indeed."

Argeno narrowed his eyes. "For someone who is shocked, you are acting quite nervous. You are sweating profusely and your pupils are dilated. Why is it zat you are so nervous?"

"I am not nervous, sir."

"Do you remember what I said before, Collins? I do not like liars. Well, it is of no consequence. You have served your purpose. I will not have to worry about you lying to me anymore."

Collins swallowed in fear. He could distinctly hear and feel every beat of his heart, which was currently pounding like a jackhammer. "Served my purpose? But sir-"

"Yes, zat is correct." Argeno snapped his fingers again, and the Corpse Corps began to close in on Collins, their swords raised.

Collins eyes widened as he attempted to evade the Corpse Corps.

"I am quite sorry to have to end our relationship zis way, Collins. But you see, I cannot have a traitor working for me."

Collins looked over at Argeno, a look of pure panic on his face.

"Yes, zat's right Collins. I know zat you betrayed me. You told ze Red Shield all about my plans. But I sink zis could end up working out for ze best. I wish I could explain why to you." Argeno shrugged.

"But zere would really be no point as you are no longer going to be wis us. It has been a pleasure working wis you, Professor Collins. It really is such a shame zat you will never receive any recognition for all of your hard work studying ze chiropterans. Everysing you have accomplished was all for naught. How incredibly sad."

The Corpse Corps member who was currently closest to Collins raised his sword back further before slicing it through Collins' chest. Collins screamed as his blood splattered the door to Argeno's office.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** _Once again, thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews! They are motivating me to get these chapters out faster :)_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 8**

_"Change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress implacably requires change"  
- Henry Steele Commager _

* * *

They pulled up to David's house, Kai right behind them on his motorcycle. Everyone got out of the car except for Saya.

David started to lock the car, but then realized that Saya was still inside of it. He walked back over to the car, put his right arm on the open door and his left on the roof as he peered inside at her. He had known that she would be upset once all of her questions were answered. But her expression was unreadable.

"Saya, are you alright?" asked David.

She hesitated before looking back up at David and smiling. "Yes, Mr. David."

Saya climbed out of the car and gently closed the door. "If you don't mind, I think I'm going to go for a walk. Go inside, everyone. I'll be fine, I promise."

Kai reached out as he started to step towards her.

"Saya," said Haji, "I will go with you."

She looked back and paused, before nodding in consent.

Kai gave a tiny smile. As much as he wanted to spend some time with Saya, there would be time for that later. He knew that she needed some time with Haji. Besides, he also wanted to go check on his girls, even if they were probably sleeping already. Kai tucked his hands in his pockets and began walking towards the front door.   
"Saya, try not to go too far," said David.

"I won't, Mr. David. Besides, I'll be alright. Haji is with me."

David nodded and smiled before turning to follow Kai inside.

They began to walk together, side by side.

Haji knew that she was unhappy. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, waiting for her to speak.

"Oh, Haji," she said. "I thought it was all over. How can this be happening? I don't want to fight anymore."

She looked sad as she stopped and looked up at him. "I've never liked fighting. And now I have to do it again."

"Saya, I have told you that you must fight so many times in the past. I don't ever want to say those words to you again," he said.

"But you know that I have to! And I... I want to protect those two little girls. I can't let Argeno take them. A world full of chiropterans... I can't let anyone else die. I don't want anyone else to get hurt! So many people died in our fight against Diva... Riku, dad..."

Tears began to form in her eyes, even as she willed them back. "And you, Haji... I thought that you had died! I thought I'd never see you again."

Overcome with emotion, she began to cry again. Her breathing became constricted as she choked on a sob. Why did she hurt so badly? She could feel the acute pain in her chest. Where were these tears coming from? She wiped away her tears and pulled back her hand, staring at it questioningly.

Haji reached out to grasp Saya's shoulder and pull her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

As she put her arms around Haji, she realized that her pain was an echo of what she had felt that night when she had seen all the debris fall on top of him at the Metropolitan Opera House. She tightened her arms as she held onto him. She was afraid that he would somehow slip away from her if she didn't hold on tight enough.

"Saya," he said softly, "I told you that I would always be here for you when you wake."

"Yes. I remember," she whispered.

She sounded sad. He let go of her as lifted her chin with his hand, forcing her to meet his eyes with her own.

"There is something else troubling you."

"No, I'm fine, Haji. Really."

"Saya-"

"I said I was fine!" she cried as she spun away from him.

Abruptly, she stopped. "I'll be fine by myself for a little while."

"But, Saya-"

"Haji, please. Just go back to Mr. David's. I won't be long."

He looked as if he did not want to leave her. "If... that's what you wish."

She stomped her foot in frustration. "But that's just it, Haji! I made you my chevalier. It's because of me that you are involved in this mess! It's just like you said that night in New York. You have been living according to my wishes. Mine! What about your wishes?"

She stared at him, a look of guilt on her face.

"Saya. You are my wish. I am where I am supposed to be. With you. It is true that I have been living according to your wishes. But your wishes have been mine as well."

She shook her head in disbelief. "But... if that is true, then why have you changed? I remember the way you used to be when we lived with Joel."

She smiled at the memory. "While you did have a serious side, you still smiled and even laughed! You were happy."

She looked back up at him. "You talked about wanting to see my smile. What if I wanted to see your smile? What happened, Haji?"

"I do not wish to trouble you."

She placed her hand on his arm and gave him a small smile. "Haji, _please_. Tell me."

He stared at her for a long moment. Then he took her hands in his and said, "It has been difficult watching you suffer. Watching you take up arms and fight, even though you did not want to. At times, it seemed as if you carried the weight of the world on your shoulders. And there was nothing I could do to help you except to stay by your side. You have been so hard on yourself. If only you could see yourself the way that I see you. Selfless, strong... you are beautiful, Saya. I want you to be happy."

"But what about your happiness?" she asked softly.

He hesitated before reaching out to stroke her hair. Something he had only done in the past while she had been sleeping. "Your happiness would mean mine as well. Saya, I was happy when we used to live at Joel's because I was with you. You are what made me happy."

"Haji," she whispered, her eyes full of emotion. She looked unsure as she seemed to be struggling with something internally. He simply stared back and waited.

Saya narrowed her eyes and swung her head around to stare at him with determination as she lifted her chin a bit more than necessary. He gave a tiny smile. He wondered if she knew how obvious she was being. The internal struggle she was having was written all over her face.

"Haji, I want to ask you something. Did you-"

"Saya!" cried Kai.

She looked over as he came running towards them.

Kai smiled, but then looked at the two of them carefully. He rubbed his neck with his right hand and looked rather sheepish.

"Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

Saya smiled and shook her head, as if she were literally shaking her thoughts from her head. "No, of course not, Kai! What is it?"

"I wanted to see if you were alright. You've been gone so long and you seemed upset when we got to David's house."

"I'm fine, Kai! It was just a lot to take in. But you're right. We have been gone for a long time. We should probably go back now."

Saya looked back. "Is that alright, Haji?"

He nodded and they all began to walk back in the direction of David's house.

"Julia came back with the twins and Sean. The children are sleeping now, though. She has some leftovers from dinner. Are you hungry, Saya?" asked Kai.

Her stomach growled in response. Her cheeks turned a little pink in embarrassment. She put her hand over her stomach and gave a light laugh. "Actually, I'm starving!"

The corners of Kai's mouth turned upwards as he looked over at her. "I thought you would be. Don't worry, there's plenty to eat! And if you're still hungry, I can always make you something else. After all... I am the cook at the Omoro!" he said as he proudly pointed towards himself with his thumb. "I'm a much better cook than I used to be."

Saya closed her eyes and gave a huge smile. She put her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter.  
She wasn't very successful and Kai narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. "I am a much better cook than I used to be! In fact, some people have told me that I'm pretty good."

She raised her head to look at Kai, a good-natured grin on her face. "You mean you don't burn the hot dogs anymore?"

He scoffed indignantly. "Of course not! Although hot dogs are not on the menu at the Omoro."

She shook her head. "So that's why you don't burn the them anymore... because they aren't even on the menu!"

Kai pressed his lips into a thin line. "Saya," he grumbled.

She laughed. "Oh, Kai. I'm just teasing you!"

He smiled and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "I've missed that."

She beamed up at him. "Missed what?"

"Your laugh."

She sighed. "You all have done so much for me. I'll never be able to thank you enough for standing by me. If it weren't for you, Haji, Mr. David, and everyone else... I don't even think I would be here right now. And neither would those two little girls."

As they approached David's house, Kai slowed down. "I told you I would always be there for you, Saya."

She smiled. "Thank you... Kai," she said softly, as they walked into the house.

They walked back into the kitchen. Julia and David were sitting at the table talking in low voices, his hand covering hers. They looked up as they noticed Saya, Kai, and Haji walking in.

A concerned look overtook David's face as Julia quickly stood up. "Saya!" she said, as she walked towards her.

"Miss Julia!"

David got up and walked over to stand next to his wife. He put his arm around Julia and asked, "Saya, are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, Mr. David. Everything you told me today was just a little overwhelming."

David nodded. "I understand. I hope you know that not everything is resting on your shoulders this time. Our main target will be Argeno. Fortunately your blood is not necessary in order to kill him."

"But what about the chiropterans?" asked Saya.

David tried to look away before the frustration he was feeling became evident by the expression on his face. He cleared his throat. "We have not had the chance to work out all the details. If we had known about this earlier, we would have woken you earlier. We have not had the time to formulate a plan yet."

"It's okay, Mr. David," she said.

David looked back up at her, trying to figure out her meaning.

"I know. I know I have to fight again. I want to kill the rest of the chiropterans. I want to protect the twins and all of you. I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

Julia placed her hand on Saya's arm. "We know you don't. And neither do we. Come on; let's get you something to eat before we all go to bed. We can talk about everything tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Miss Julia."

Julia got some noodles out of the fridge and put them in the microwave. "Kai, the girls are upstairs sleeping in Sean's room. We thought you might like to sleep in there with them. Lewis is sleeping in the basement, but we have an extra bedroom upstairs for you and Haji, Saya."

Saya nodded as Julia set the bowl down in front of her. "Thanks!" said Saya, as she began to devour the noodles in front of her. "Mmmm... this is so good!"

Everyone laughed.

"You always had an insatiable appetite," said Kai, smiling.

"Does anyone need anything else?" asked Julia.

"No, Miss Julia," said Saya as Kai shook his head.

"Well, we're going to bed," said David, taking Julia's hand. "See you all in the morning."

Kai yawned and stood up. "Yea, I think I will, too."

Saya nodded at them as she continued to inhale her noodles. When she finished, she stood up to put her bowl in the sink.

"Come, Saya. You should rest. You must be exhausted."

She smiled. "Yes, Haji. You're right," she said as they both headed towards the stairs.


	10. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note:** I would like to apologize to my readers for the long delay. It has been a hectic few months and I have had so much going on leaving me NO time to write. But I would also like to thank all of you for your reviews. Without them, I might have decided to give up on this story. So it is because of you all that I am continuing. I will try to update more regularly like I did in the beginning. Thanks again for your reviews and your patience._

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_"At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet."  
- Plato_

* * *

Solomon and Nathan landed on the roof of Cinq Flèches' headquarters just in time to hear a piercing scream. 

"Why, that sounded just like Mr. Collins," said Nathan thoughtfully.

Solomon narrowed his eyes. "Yes, you're right."

Nathan smoothed out his hair with his right hand. "I suppose Van must have found out that Collins betrayed him."

Solomon nodded in agreement as Nathan sighed. "It's too bad we arrived as late as we did. We missed all the drama!"

Solomon pursed his lips. "Well, hopefully we did not miss anything too important. Now let's see if Van will reveal his next move to us."

* * *

As Kai finished preparing breakfast, David closed his cell phone impatiently.

Lewis looked up from his newspaper. "What is the matter, David?"

David shook his head in frustration. "Collins is not picking up his phone. I have been trying to reach him ever since we brought Saya back here."

"Do you think everything is alright?" asked Lewis.

"I don't know," said David. "I think, perhaps, we were a little careless. We should have figured that Argeno might suspect Collins. After all, Argeno had to have known that we were aware of his plans. Why else would we have decided to wake Saya? We knew it was probable that we might run into Argeno at the tomb."

"What should we do? Do you want to go over to Collins' place?"

"No. There could be some other explanation as to why I have been unable to reach him. We'll have to wait a little longer. Besides, we don't have the time right now."

"Good morning!" said Saya, as she and Haji walked into the kitchen.

Everyone smiled at them as Kai said, "Good morning, Saya!"

As Saya looked around at everyone, her gaze at last rested upon Julia, who was busy fussing with her son and the twins.

Julia looked up and noticed Saya staring at them. "Saya, Haji! Come over here... I've got a few people I would like for you to meet. This is my son, Sean. And these are Kai's girls... Manami and Asuka."

Saya bent down so she was eye level with the children, and rested her hands on her knees. "It is so nice to meet you! My name is Saya."

Julia smiled. "Girls, Saya is Kai's sister."

Manami and Asuka stared wide-eyed at Saya. "Is she really Saya?" asked Manami.

Asuka grinned at her. "Kai talks about you a lot, Saya!"

"He does? All good things, I hope," she said with a light laugh.

Kai looked over at Asuka sternly, as he placed a platter of eggs on the table. "Are you ever going to call me, 'dad?'"

Asuka giggled. "Yay, eggs! I'm so hungry! Thanks, Kai!"

Manami studied Haji for a minute. "Who's he?"

"That's Haji," said Julia. "He is Saya's close friend."

"So, David," said Kai, "What's the plan for today?"

"We need to meet with Joel this evening. All of us are going because from now on, we will be staying at Red Shield's headquarters. It is no longer safe to stay at this house. Argeno probably already knows where we live and it would only be a matter of time before he would show up. After breakfast, we will pack only what we need and depart immediately for France."

David's cell phone began to ring. He looked at the caller ID, and flipped it open. After a short conversation, he hung up and cleared his throat. "That was Joel. Apparently Solomon contacted him earlier this morning. He and Nathan will be present for the meeting. Hurry up and eat. We have to get going."

As Kai began to wash the dishes, Julia walked over and said, "Kai, let me do the dishes." As he started to protest, she said, "Please. You were kind enough to fix breakfast for all of us. Let me clean up, okay? You need to go pack."

Kai smiled and nodded. He put down the dish that was in his hand and walked over to Saya. "I'm going back to the Omoro to pack a few things. All of your things are there as well, so I thought you might like to come with me. You can ride on the back of my bike, like old times!"

She nodded happily. "That's a great idea."

"Saya and I are going to go pack. We'll be back shortly!" said Kai, as they started walking out of the kitchen.

"Be quick about it," said Lewis. "We have to leave soon."

"Yea, yea," said Kai, raising his right arm over his shoulder in acknowledgement as they walked out the front door.

He smiled as they approached his bike. He was finally going to spend some time with Saya! He handed her the extra helmet and then strapped on his own. As he started the bike, she got on behind him and put her arms around his waist. It had been so long since he had ridden with her, and it felt so good to have her close to him again.

"Hold on!" said Kai, and she tightened her arms around him as he drove off.

"I wish we could take the scenic route," he said, at a stoplight. "I know how much you love riding next to the ocean. But, unfortunately, we just don't have time."

"It's okay, Kai," she said. "We'll have to go for a ride some other time!"

He nodded and grinned. "Yes, we will."

Saya studied the Omoro as Kai pulled up and parked his bike. "It looks great!" she exclaimed. The off-white building looked like it had been given a fresh coat of paint rather recently. The word 'Omoro' was written in large, black, block letters right above the doorway.

They walked inside and she took a good look around. "Yes, it's exactly as I remember it," she murmured as she glanced to her right at the empty bar, which was lined with upside down stools on top of it. Bright colored paper lanterns hung from the ceiling. The chairs were upside down on top of the tables, and there wasn't a speck of dirt or dust in sight. Saya was willing to bet that the floors were clean enough to eat off of.

She walked over to the cork board on the wall with pictures pinned onto it. She was almost immediately drawn to the picture of their whole family: Riku, Kai, herself, and their dad. She slowly and lightly ran her fingers over their faces as she was overcome with happy memories.

Kai walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder as he, too, studied the pictures.

"That was the best year of my life," said Saya softly, as she turned to face him.

"Mine, too," said Kai. "We should cherish those memories that we have of Riku and dad. No one can ever take that away from us, Saya. No one can ever take _them_ away from us. They will never be forgotten, and they will always live within us. Right here," he said as he placed his left hand over his heart, and his right hand over her own. He gazed into her eyes intently. "And we will always have each other."

They stood there like that for what seemed to be an eternity. There was something in his eyes that Saya was having trouble reading. "Kai?"

Her voice seemed to pull him out of his stupor. He smiled. "Come on. We need to pack so we can get out of here."

She smiled back and nodded.

* * *

Nathan swirled the wine in his glass absently as he leaned against the counter at his home in France.

"We must leave soon, Nathan."

He nodded as he took a sip from his glass. "Yes, I know." Nathan paused for a minute. "Solomon... you are still interested in Cinq Flèches, aren't you?"

Solomon looked quizzically over at Nathan. "Of course I am. Don't you remember? That is why we began this little endeavor of ours."

"Yes, yes," he said impatiently, "Of course I remember. I was just wondering if _you_ did."

"What makes you think that I wouldn't?"

"Ever since we found out about Argeno's plan to wake Saya, it seems as if you are more interested in her than in taking back Cinq Flèches."

Solomon smiled. "As much as I have appreciated your help these past six years, I was still under the impression that _you_ were the one who didn't care about Cinq Flèches."

Nathan placed his empty wine glass on the counter and brought his right hand up to study his nails. "You're quite right, Solomon. I was simply wondering what you are planning to do, now that our dear Saya is awake again."

Solomon gazed off into the distance. "My plans have never changed, Nathan. I want Saya to be my bride. I love her and I want to see the world with her. I suppose I could still take over Cinq Flèches. After all, we must kill Van no matter what. I cannot allow him to take Saya. But I no longer care about the wealth and power that I used to possess."

Nathan sighed. "Yes, you really have become quite the romantic, Solomon. You've changed."

"But have I really changed? I wonder. I think that I really changed when I became Diva's chevalier. I forgot who I was when I was a human. I forgot why I had wanted to become a chevalier in the first place and turned into something completely different."

"Why, Solomon... I wasn't expecting you to get all philosophical on me!"

"But don't you remember? You were there that day. The day that I came to speak with Diva about the past and the future. The day that I told Diva that Saya was the one I wished to be with."

_"And from then on, I became your Chevalier. I felt as though, being liberated from my former life, I was forgiven for my previous deeds of killing fellow humans. After the war, I thought that peace would come. However, in reality, upon becoming a Chevalier and begin granted eternal life, all I could see was the insignificance of the human race. That was it. From the view of the human value system, I thought my former life was trivial. I saw humans as foolish and ugly creatures. To put it simply, I was full of joy, having been released from that world. For the first time, I was able to find peace. But even in our world, there was still conflict... the conflict between you and Saya."_

"I realized something that day, Nathan. When I became a chevalier, I turned into a completely different person, forgetting all about who I had wanted to become... forgetting why I had chosen to become a chevalier in the first place. Saya is the one who helped me to remember. She was different from Diva and her other chevaliers. She didn't see humans as insignificant. She cared about them. She cared enough to fight against her own kind for them. That is why I was so drawn to her... why I didn't want her to be killed. Saya helped me to remember myself, Nathan. And she made me feel as if I was not alone in this world."

Nathan exhaled loudly, as he gathered his thoughts. "Yes, I do remember that day. I have to admit, I was a little curious as to what it was about Saya that made you fall in love with her. I always figured that, naturally, you were drawn to her as she was one of the queens." Nathan nodded as the right side of his mouth curled upwards. "Oh, Solomon," he said whimsically, "That was truly beautiful!"

"I was only speaking the truth," said Solomon as he glanced over at the clock hanging on the wall in the kitchen. "Are you ready, Nathan? It's time to go."


End file.
